Saturday, November 29, 2008

update: Sadly, Otis lost his fight. Please keep his mom Alison in your prayers right now. I really hope something can be done to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else. Just so awful this had to happen to little Otis.

*A friend of mine back in CA shared this story about her friend's dog who was severely mistreated at PETCO. I'm posting this on here in hopes that this will prevent others from experiencing something similar. If your dog shakes and cries when you take him to the groomer, perhaps he's trying to tell you something. Please keep Otis in your thoughts and prayers.

On Saturday, November 22, 2008 I brought my 3 year old Pekingese, Otis for a scheduled grooming at PETCO (location: 537 North Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277). His appointment time was scheduled at 12:00pm.

Upon arrival I put Otis on his leash to walk him from the car into the store. We got to the grooming station and I let Maria, his groomer know that his feet are sensitive to nail trims and his underarms were sore from being picked up so many times over the last few days from my recent move. I told her exactly what I wanted as far as his hair cut was concerned. I told her I would be back at 3:00pm to pick him up because that was the time I was quoted. She let me know that she would try but she had a few dogs to rush through before mine. She gave me her card and I gave her my cell phone number in case she was going to be late. I let her know I was going out of town and since I was quoted 3:00pm, I needed her to get as close to that time as possible.

I called PETCO around 2:30pm to get a status and Maria was unavailable to speak with. Her co-worker told me he would be ready by 3:00pm.

I entered PETCO at 3:00pm and walked into the grooming station to find Otis hardly done and Maria seemed to be extremely rough with Otis on the grooming table. She was turning him around by his back legs and he looked like all he wanted to do was sit down.

Her co-worker gave me a receipt and I paid for my service. I went back to the grooming waiting room to find Maria still finishing up his haircut, again being a little too rough with him.

Finally she was done and brought him out to me. To my surprise he would not walk over to me. This is because he couldn’t walk. He was trying to use his front legs that were shaking to pull his back end and legs towards me. I asked Maria what happened and she said it was just stress and he would be ok once we got home.

I put his leash on him to see if he could walk, stress was not the issue. He started shaking and crying. Maria’s co-worker went to get the assistant manager who already knew about the situation. The assistant manager stated that she contacted the general manager who then told me I should probably take my dog to see a vet and bring PETCO the doctors’ notes to see what was going on.

I called the PETCO Customer service line to ask what I should do. After holding for 20 minutes, I was told to do the same thing, take him to the vet.

I was at the Animal Emergency Clinic from 4:00pm-8:00pm.

My dog Otis had X-rays, Oxycontin and Morphine shots for the pain. He is also on steroids and anti-inflammatories for the swelling. He ruptured 4 discs while being groomed at PETCO and has staying the last two nights at the Emergency Hospital. If he does not get better through the next couple of nights, he will have to have Emergency Surgery to correct the damage to his spinal cord. The surgery estimated cost is $10,000.00 not including his rehabilitation and recovery costs. The Emergency Vet stated that there is no dog that could EVER WALK with 4 ruptured discs in their spine. My dog would not have been treated by the facility being paralyzed from the waist down. There is no question that this happened at PETCO and this email is just the beginning.

After already paying $43.00 for a horrible experience at PETCO (and a horrible groom) and $1702.75 for my FIRST bill at the Emergency Center, this is just the beginning of treatment for Otis. The emotional pain surpasses the money alone. This dog is my best friend. He is my family and something needs to be done. I will go as far as it takes to get the word out about this groomer and this company called PETCO.

UPDATE:::: I just went to go visit him (visiting hours start at 9am so I was there at 8:59am) things dont look good. i had to tube feed him and give him water through a syringe but he is now on an IV so he is getting plenty of fluids. back surgery is #1, #2 is medication management and tube feeding at home. He is still in the hospital (today is Sunday) and still in a large amount of pain. I waited 3 hours to see him and he didnt even recognize my face because of all of the pain management drugs he is on. They upped his dosage of morphine and oxycontin (in dog form) to try keep him comfortable enough to sleep. I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest everytime I walk in my apartment and he isnt here. Please just keep little Otis in your thoughts. He's only 3, still a baby... this shouldnt be happening.... He is my best friend and my baby. Thanks for all the well wishes. I love my friends....

He is staying the night again tonight and possibly tomorrow. I miss my friend.

I will spread the word about PETCO, I will spend every waking hour standing outside of your stores, I will spend every waking hour taking this to someone higher than the person before. I will spend every waking hour fighting for a my Best Friend, Otis who cant fight for himself right now. He has to concentrate on a different kind of fight.

UPDATE #2: I just got off the phone and there has been a decline in the state of my Dog. The surgeon will take a look at him today and I have to make the biggest decision of my life. What is the best thing for Otis, not Alison. He has some superficial pain (which is good) because he was paralyzed when he first got to the Hospital. Some things are looking up, some are not. I just want my friend to come home, I want to spread the word, I want my Dog to lead a normal life. I want his tail to wag again. I want him to recognize me. I want his life to be pain-free again....

UPDATE #3:I brought Otis home last night to try to medically manage him at home. I am up every 3 hours to give him Prednisone, Robaxin, Pepcid AC, Tramadol and Baytril. I have to palpate his bladder every 6 hours to make sure he goes to the bathroom or else he will develop urinary obstruction and/or major issues. It also keeps him from urinating on himself and developing urine scald which also becomes dangerous. I have to constantly conduct passive range of motion exercises so he does not develop joint problems.Otis can wag his tail. Otis can drag his body to get water (he is not hungry so I have been feeding him through a syringe)... I am tired, I can only imagine how he feels.... I didnt want to jump into surgery.... I felt like if he had any chance at all to get a little bit better at home, I wanted to give him that chance. He seems like he is happy to be home and sleeping in bed with me, his mom.

Thank everyone for the messages, comments, emails and phone calls. You have no idea the strength you all are bringing me through those things alone.

I am in the process of speaking with an Attorney to resolve Otis's case with PETCO.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Chumley's curled up on the couch, sound asleep so I snuck a couple treats in front of his face to surprise him when he awakes. A couple seconds later his head pops up and he gobbles the treats. Tom watches this exchange and our conversation went as follows:

Tom: Why would you wake him up? Just let him sleep.

Me: He likes waking up to eat his treats!

Tom: How would you like it if I stuffed a sausage next to your face while you sleep?

I HATE THIS M*THER F*CKING DECREPIT OLD SON OF A B*TCH PIECE OF CRAP ASS H*LE COMPUTER!!!!

I can't even begin to express my utter disdain for my computer right now. It keeps freezing up between sites and I'm so sick of this. I'm trying to look for a xmas gift online and this thing is taking so c*ck smackin' long and I have no patience for it, so I said SCREW it.

I'll try again later after a cocktail though I may just hurl my drink through the screen. Actually, the only thing that would make me feel better is beating this thing to a bloody pulp.

Well I bought some raw matcha green tea powder at the grocery store (it's not cheap, sells for $83 a pound, I only got $5 worth) but it lasts forever! You only use about 1/4 a teaspoon per glass. I add about a teaspoon of warm water to dissolve the powder, before I add the milk and ice. Then I add some Agave Nectar to sweeten it up a little.

And it's just as good as the Trader Joe's mix, and a I'm guessing a lot healthier too.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Here are a few pics from Rebecca's visit. The weather cooperated the last couple days of her visit and in the pics you will see more sunshine! We didn't take too many pics though, we mostly hung out by the fire, catching up in the evenings and during the days we were on the go. If only she lived here. It would definitely make those cloudy days brighter.

We found some cute orange hats to try on. They were all over the city.

Wrigley getting loved on.

Wrigley enjoying the love.

Wrigley returning the love with some kisses.

Here are some extremely rare photos, probably NEVER to be seen again...

Yep, that's Chumley.

He's known Auntie Rebecca his whole life, so it's only fitting that after 14 years, he sits on her lap.

And then there's Wrigley.

Chumley and Wrigley want her to come back again very soon. They have been mopey boys since she left. They always get that way when company leaves. My mom comes into town on Thanksgiving day so that should perk them up again. And me too. I'm really missing my family and friends. I hate living so far away. Hitting me hard this week.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Thursday, November 20, 2008

This morning I woke up feeling very uneasy. Like something major and life changing is lurking in the not so distant future. I'm thinking that maybe if I get this out and off my chest nothing bad will happen but it's a very strong sense of impending doom that I can't explain. I have felt this way, this strongly, one other time in my life. I won't say when.

These are challenging times that we're all facing and I pray that those of you reading this right now are safe, healthy, warm and find something to smile about every day.

Today was very cold, especially by the water but yesterday was BEAUTIFUL.60 degrees and sunny all day. We walked around Pike's Market and had lunch at a Thai restaurant. Even though it was chilly, I took off my coat and wore short sleeves. I needed to feel the sun on my skin again.

It felt really nice but I'm paying the price today.

My throat is sore and I can't stop sneezing.

Sorry Michael, doesn't look like we'll be sailing tomorrow...

House update:

Tom and I are putting an offer on a house in W. Seattle tomorrow morning.

Here's a gorgeous view facing the city (not from the house).

I'll give more details on the house (and also the fact that Tom has not even been inside) at another time. Michael leaves tomorrow then Rebecca comes out to visit tomorrow night. We haven't seen each other in over a year and are celebrating our birthday months and I can't wait!

Tom and I ate breakfast at a cute place in town and we sat by the window to watch Wrigs who was outside. This little boy (probably 3 years old) was walking outside with his family and comes rushing up to the window, smushes his face up to the glass and stares down Tom. Tom smiles at him. The kid is stone faced. Tom waves. Still not even so much as a blink from the little guy. I ask Tom, "Do you think he has problems?" Tom says, "Nah. He's just shy." The kid starts banging his head into the glass, hard, while grunting. I say to Tom, "Sure about that?"

Saturday, November 15, 2008

So worried for my family and friends. Looked like it was going to be a fire free year too. Temps in the 90's with 84 mile an hour winds and no humidity is not going to help. Praying for everyone who is affected by this right now. I feel so helpless.

I need to make labels for my posts because I was trying to find that story about the woman who was stuck to the toilet for a year and I couldn't. Should I retro-activate labels for all my old crap or just start fresh now? I'm sure I'll make labels for all off 3 posts before I decide this is annoying.

Since we downsized quite a bit for this move I've been using storage bins to store extra handbags, shoes and what nots. When I lifted the lid, I saw this pic:

Thank GOD for the visual aid because I would have never known that closing a baby inside a plastic box was not the right thing to do.

In this house we have a saying...

"Rakes are for p*ssies"

Ok we really don't say that we just have t-shirts. But seriously, as you can see we're not used to raking up our leaves.

Whenever I start to rant about something Tom doesn't agree with he says, "Go Pound Sand." I try not to laugh but I do because I visualize some idiot with a giant blow up hammer banging on the sand. But now when Tom says it I come back with, "Ok fly me back to California and I'll pound the beach all day." That usually ends the discussion.

At Starbucks this morning I saw a woman who I think had Hoof to Mouth disease. It was really uncomfortable to look at. It was like cottage cheese type skin (that was red raw and cracked and oozy) covered one whole side of her mouth. She was directly in my line of sight so it made it impossible to eat my oatmeal. I feel bad even mentioning it on here because she was soooo nice and just when I told myself "OK, You can do this. Just don't glance over in that general direction." She strikes up a conversation about the hat I was wearing and when I told her I knitted it, it led to several more questions and that's when I capped my oatmeal. Sort of like putting the nail in the coffin, the oatmeal was capped. The woman was really old, like probably 90 so I need to not talk about this anymore because she was just too sweet.

Tom worked late tonight so I ate Trader Joe's Triple Berry O's for dinner. Without milk. How sad is this, our house is so fricking cold that adding cold milk to my cereal makes me even colder so I ate my cereal dry. Without a spoon. I still have the oatmeal from this morning in the fridge but every time I think of it I now have a visual of the Hoof to Mouther.

The word "constipated" is not in predictive text on my phone. And although I don't type it all too often, when I need to do so it takes up too much time. Diarrhea, however, is in there. I guess if I had to choose between the two I use the latter much more often than the former.

Friday, November 14, 2008

I walked Wrigs this morning and this woman randomly stops us on the street (which is not unusual) and begins to shower Wrigs with kisses and pets, which he willingly accepts. We're casually making small talk and then she starts to massage Wrigs back and hind quarters. I'm thinking this is kind of getting weird and the woman says, "He eats too many Cheerios." I said jokingly, "Well that's why we're on our walk." And then she says, "Someone needs a diet!" Seriously? Did you just call my dog fat? If we're gonna start throwing insults then you need to get your teeth fixed. And you know what else??? Maybe if it didn't RAIN 14 DAYS STRAIGHT we'd all be out getting more exercise you crazy toothless RAIN LOVER!!! I didn't say any of that of course, I just smiled pleasantly and thanked her for her unsolicited observation on my dog. Crazy bitch.

Then while on the same walk just a few blocks later this woman comes up and greets Wrigs all excited and animated so he starts to jump up on her. I say, "No jump!" She looks at me and says all teacher like, "Instead of saying 'No Jump' tell him 'Good Sit' when he sits. Use positive reinforcement when training a dog." WTF are we in Pet Smart??? And how the hell did I make it past 30 without this KNOW IT ALL in my life?? Next time, don't run up to my dog like you've just won the f*cking lottery and perhaps he will "GOOD SIT" for you.

What's with all the Dog Whisperers in this town???

Here's another sad Wrigs pic from the other day, while watching the rain drops fall. His chin is resting on the window ledge. He knows how to play the pathetic card a bit too well.

Stupid shit for brains head up his ass weatherman lied this morning. There was not a SPECK of sun to be found today. It wasn't nearly as dark as it had been the other days but still, NO sun whatsoever. I take back all my hallelujahs from this morning and replace them with a shaking fist to the sky! Sons of bitches!!!!

---------------------------------------

Tom and I just watched the weather report and it's supposed to be partly sunny/no rain all thru the weekend! We both broke out into song:

"Haaaaaa-llelujah!! Haaaaaa-llelujah!!"

"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

"Halleeeeeeluuuuujah."

Wrigs turned his head to look at us mid song, and had that WTF? expression written all over his face. Soon he'll be rejoicing right along with us when we go for our 10.2 mile walk. Have to make up for lost time.

Did anyone see the story about the balloon ride crash in Yuma, Arizona? Scary indeed and thankfully no one was injured, but our crash 5 years ago was WAAAAAY worse. If we caught it on film we so would have made it on the Today Show.

They also showed the giant Christmas tree hauled in on a flat bed to Rockefeller Center. The tree was 80 years old and it was so sad to see it lying dead on the truck. I really think the city should construct an artificial one. If one can make a giant penis I'm sure it can be done.

OMG ENRIQUE IGLESIAS IS ON THE TODAY SHOW AND HOLY BAG OF DONUTS HE IS SOOOOOO INCREDIBLY HOT!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT! Where's Wrigs pedi paws? I'm just kidding but seriously, this man is super fine. And I love his new song.

And dumb asses on the today show NEED to get his name right! There is no "N" between the "I" and "G" of his last name. If I hear someone say INGLESIAS one more time I will shove my fist into their mouth. Even if I have to fly across the country to do so.

Oh how I love insomnia. I've read that the sun lamp messes with your sleep patterns which is great for someone who averages around 3 hours of sleep per night. Longest I've gone without sleeping was 4 nights all in a row and it wasn't pretty (that's not me behind the scary donkey demon mask I swear). FYI: sun lamp + hangover = throbbing head (and not the good kind). I'm just going to ramble on aimlessly and hopefully my eyes will close at some point. I'm sure I'll sound like a complete jack ass right now because I can't grasp a single thought much less form a proper sentence.

So it's 1:15 and I should be asleep but I'm bored. I need to be doing something but I don't want to wake Tom. I wonder if he can hear me typing on the keys while he sleeps. I want to play the piano right now (we moved the electric piano into the house because I was going bat shit crazy without it) but I know Tom wouldn't appreciate that. I wrote a song called "Dancing Between the Raindrops" and I can only play it when it's not raining. I hope I get to play it again before Christmas.

My neighbors (the ones I accidentally threw poo at) are completely whacked. They already have their Christmas tree up and decorated, lights and all. Did we just skip Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas? Next time I see them I'm going to wish them a happy new year.

Tom does something every day that secretly bugs me yet I've never told him. When he washes his hands he pumps a few squirts of hand soap into his hands and then, before adding any water, he rubs his hands together for several seconds. I cringe in silence because it looks as though he's rubbing the dirtiness further into his pores. I'd much prefer he pump the soap then cup his hand under the water so it can mix with the soap and then scrub into a sudsy lather. It's like brushing your teeth without adding any water to the toothbrush. Too gummy and sticky. Wish I would have worked this into our wedding vows.

I ate a banana today and it had absolutely zero flavor. How does that happen? It was like eating a wet sponge. I'm afraid to eat another banana from that same bunch for fear of this happening again. Maybe it was just a lemon.

The best way to eat a pomegranate is naked over the kitchen sink. If you can't be naked (because you have crazy neighbors with a Christmas tree who might see you) then don't wear white.

Tom and I were walking, and as usual he was a few steps ahead of me. Suddenly I smelled hot dogs. I said, "You just burped." He said, "How did you know?" I said, "I just walked in its wake." He didn't eat hot dogs for dinner but why do the majority of burps have that hot dog smell? Makes me wonder what's in a hot dog.

Chumley is annoying the crap outta me right now. He goes from humping his bear while howling/bellowing to running around like a crazy spaz, rustling through papers and plastic bags. Usually when he darts around from room to room that means he has a dingleberry hanging from his ass. Tom??? You awake?? Oh and Chum hasn't pissed on any furniture as of yet, because now he decided to relieve himself on my bag of knitting. Who wants a scarf?

Our landlords came by yesterday and Wrig's Pedi Paws was lying smack dab on the kitchen counter. I can't help but think they thought it was a sex toy. But seriously, what kind of sick f*ck would leave a dildo on the kitchen counter? Probably the same one who eats their fruit naked over the kitchen sink.

The funniest name ever for an illness is Hoof to Mouth disease. I'm not laughing at the disease itself or anyone who has ever had it, just the name and the way it sounds when you say it cracks me up. I think it's also the visual that goes along with the name. I picture a donkey with his front foot stuffed in his mouth. What's with all the donkey talk?

This morning I was attempting to shave my legs in the shower but we don't have a shelf or anything to rest your foot on so I had my foot flat against the side of the shower wall. It slipped and I slammed my forehead hard, right into the tile. I came within milliliters of bashing my nose and I thought to myself if someone asked, "How did you break your nose?" I would say, "Shaving my legs."

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Was surprisingly pleasant for a change. Just when I hit the bottom of my vortex of doom, a flicker of light shines at the tunnel's end. That light? The sun.

Our friend Darin is a pilot and had a lay over in Seattle for the day. We met at Pikes and had lunch at Serious Pie (know why it's called Serious Pie? because it is SERIOUSLY the best pizza on earth!) Then, we explored the city. All I can say is, this place looks and feels 100,000,000 times better in the sunshine.

Here's some video of a piano player on Pike Street and the incredible sky. It ended up clouding over at about 2, BUT it was nothing like the last 14 days. There was still a lot of brightness to the sky and the contrast was pretty amazing. I even got to see shadows again! The guy in the orange sweater and cap is Darin.

That dying mongoose you hear in the background is a violin player and I use the term "player" loosely. More like violin mutilator. I highly recommend that you remove all sharp objects from reach before listening to this next clip.

And some photos - click to enlarge.

Crazy balloon man (aka my future BFF, he just doesn't know it yet)

Check out the lovers in the bottom right of this pic. I wanted to yell "GET A ROOM!" but somehow controlled the urge to do so.

Some more amazing sky pics...

While walking over to Nordstrom we almost got kicked in the face by some nutjob doing cartwheels on the sidewalk. Best part about this, nutjob was wearing a business suit! I bet that's what Tom does to blow off steam during the day. Seems like an effective stress reliever. Next time I see him I may have to join in on the fun. Synhronized cartwheeling has definite Olympic potential. Just you watch.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Poor Wrigs is miserable. He refuses to go outside unless I walk/drag him which is not a very good idea considering how slick it is from this nonstop rain. He misses going to the park, chasing his balls and romping around in the dry grass with his pals. And sure as sh*t,So. Do. I.

But it makes me more upset to see him sad.

He just sits by the window and watches the rain...

I walked away from the computer for a while and when I came back this was playing. Looks like Wrigs needs the silly pills too.

My friend Brooke was leaving a message for a friend of hers on the home answering machine. Her friend has 3 little kids, who upon returning home, like to play the messages back and listen.

While Brooke was leaving the message she inadvertently said the word, "F*CK". She realized that the little ones would be hearing this message, freaked out and then said, "SH*T!!! I just said F*CK into your answering machine!"

She hung up and called her friend on her cell telling her NOT to play the message in front of the kiddos.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This one just came out of the blue while we were driving around town on Saturday.

Not "Douche bag" or "Stupid Douche" just plain Douche. Is it wrong that it makes me laugh? Not sure how many others would enjoy being referred to as a vaginal bulb syringe but I kind of like it. Perhaps he's trying to tell me something.

I found an old winter cap in our box of winter crap this weekend so I've been wearing it around the house and it's quite warm. I thought it was much more flattering than the Elmer Fudd hat but apparently not since Tom now tells me I look like Joe Pesci.

I guess this is to be expected after being married over a decade. It could be worse. It's not like we're flinging poo at each other. At least not our own...

Sunday, November 09, 2008

This is a very difficult time for my mom, as this was her last remaining immediate family member. Up until a few months ago my aunt was very active and just recently things took a tragic turn. Too much suffering, too much pain. She is now at peace and my mom was by her side.

My Aunt Janie was so much fun and was such an animal lover. I just realized I posted a little story about her back in May, a few months before she had fallen ill.

I'm going to miss her very much. I still have the nightgown she gave me when I was 10, on one of my visits to her house. She let me borrow it and I felt so grown up that she insisted I keep it. I'll have it forever.